Stories of America: The Surprising History of Candy Corn!

Did you know candy corn was once called “Chicken Feed”? This Halloween, hop aboard the Culture Train for a sweet journey through American history! Kristen and Asher travel back in time to a Pennsylvania farm in the 1880s to discover why so much of America’s corn was grown for animals, not dinner plates. Then they visit a bustling Cincinnati candy shop around 1900, where kids bought candy corn by the penny.

Along the way, families learn about guising, the old Irish and Scottish tradition that helped inspire trick-or-treating. They’ll also discover how a German immigrant family, the Goelitz family, helped make candy corn one of America’s most famous Halloween treats, and how their company grew into the candy maker we know today as Jelly Belly.

Learn more about candy corn and Jelly Belly
Jelly Belly has made candy corn since about 1898, longer than any other candy company. Read more about its history at news.jellybelly.com/candy-corn-by-the-makers-of-jelly-belly, or visit jellybelly.com.

Please help us continue our adventures!
Culture Kids is a nonprofit, and every adventure is made possible by families like yours. If you’d like to help us keep creating free stories that carry cultures and histories from one generation to the next, please consider a tax-deductible gift at culturekidsmedia.com/support. Thank you for being part of our Culture Kids family!

Credits

Hosted by Kristen Kim and Asher

Produced by Culture Kids Productions

Sound FX: Envato Elements

Sound Design: Kristen Kim

Audio Engineer: Robin Lai